Inspired by the working paper by Peterman and colleagues, Pandemics and Violence Against Women and Children, this document examines how COVID-19 may create “pathways” leading to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Violence Against Women and Children (VAW/C), with a specific focus on the Canadian context.
The first section of this document highlights the various “cross-cutting risks for all types of VAW/C” that the COVID-19 pandemic may produce for individuals in 2SLGBTQ+, Indigenous, Black, and ethnic minority communities, as well as older adults, people with disabilities, and the working class.
The second section of this document outlines key recommendations for responding to gender-based violence in Canada during this pandemic. Examining how COVID-19 creates pathways for social harms beyond the illness itself (such as violence) is essential to developing appropriate responses in social policy, public messaging, and health promotion.
